By Benjamin Heffner | Observer Contributor
An interior view of the bus windshield, cracked by a light post.
Three MWCC students were injured on November 26 after they were struck by an oncoming MART bus. According to a statement released by Campus Police, at approximately 7:50 AM, the MART bus was attempting to make a turn near the Lot B bus stop when the students were struck.
Samuel Nieves, who was on the bus at the time of the incident, said that as the bus was turning, it suddenly accelerated onto the curb, colliding with students and hitting a light pole, causing the windshield to crack. The bus hit the students from behind as they were walking on the sidewalk heading to class. “It was like a horror movie,” Nieves said. He added that the bus driver was the same one he saw every morning and that he never noticed any problems.
Sabrina Alonso gave a more chilling recollection. “I was sitting by the window when I heard the bus driver scream ‘No!’ and saw a student get hit, flying off the ground and off to the grass. In that moment, I went into shock. The worst thoughts ran through my mind,” said Alonso.
The MART bus being towed away.
Oren Cohen was glancing down at his phone but noticed two of the students being hit by the bus and the driver was in complete shock. Cohen added that even after the incident, he was still shaken up.
All three of the injured students were alert and communicating with officers and first responders at the scene of the crash and were taken to local hospitals. The students were identified as Early College students from Narragansett Regional High School in Baldwinville, according to a statement released by superintendent Dr. Chris Casavant. Counselors were available in the North Café throughout the day to provide support to students and faculty.
According to MWCC Chief of Police and Public Safety Melissa Croteau, the incident remains under further investigation.
Per company protocol, the bus driver will have his license suspended. It is the second recent incident involving MART buses. On November 14, a MART bus crashed into the Fitchburg Intermodal Center, seriously injuring a male pedestrian. “We are cooperating with and will fully assist the Gardner Police Department with obtaining all the information necessary for them to investigate the accident,” MART CEO Bruno Fisher said in a statement. “The three students we understand were injured in the accident and their full recovery is our only concern.”
Nieves said he’s lucky the incident occurred during a holiday week when most students aren’t in attendance. “Had it been a fully-packed campus, like normal, it could’ve been much worse,” he said.
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